Introduction - Here we go...

I love Facebook. I pretty much live my life out loud on Facebook, and one of my favorite things about it is that it has given me a forum to write about me, about life, about stuff that cracks me up. I'm also probably a narcissist. I've been afraid to actually take a quiz (I'm sure there's one out there) to find out for sure, because it's not a flattering thing to be. As long as I can just joke about it without officially carrying the label, I can continue to find myself witty and winsome.

For years, people have told me I should:
A: become a stand-up comic
B: write a book
C: write a screenplay

While that all sounds fun, it's kind of overwhelming. And the stand-up comic thing is way different, in real life, than people think it is. Comics are basically story-tellers, but only a very few just stand up and riff successfully - Robin Williams, for instance, can improvise about anything. But to do stand-up takes loads of preparation and practice.  How you say it is probably more important that what you say. Plus, it would be pretty nerve-wracking to actually FACE my audience, expecting them to laugh at everything that I find funny. A lack of audible laughter would probably crush me. Writing just feels safer.

I was an English major at USC. While I graduated cum laude, I don't believe I ever turned in more than a first draft of a paper. If I'd only applied myself, I'd probably be Englishing harder than any of you right now, instead of being a stay-at-home, homeschooling mom whose job is almost done (Jennifer is, at the time I'm writing this, 17 and starting to take junior college classes). Wait, I guess that's what most English majors end up doing anyway, right? So until I'm forced to get a "real" job, I am feeling an almost irresistible urge to write.

One of my all-time favorite writers is Anne Lamott.  She writes the way I think. I just love her style and her take on life.  When I grow up, I want to be able to put my thoughts to paper like she does.

But I digress. I decided that the three things other people think I should do are way more than I want to take on at this point in my life. But blogging? Heck, anyone can write a blog, right? Do I want to make money by writing? That would be lovely, but I'd be happy just to have people read my stuff and chuckle.

So I'm going to try this blogging thing. Some things I post will be essays I wrote earlier, mostly for myself, but sometimes I published them on Facebook or a webpage I started once when I was caring for a sick niece and wanted a place to update lots of people who were following her progress (this was, I think, before sites like "CaringBridge" made that easier).

Some of my blogs will be family-related. Some will be God-related. Some may defy categorization. As I go, I'll try to give a hint in my titles of what I'm up to.  "God Stuff" is pretty self-explanatory, so maybe I'll use that for those ones.

I still haven't decided what to name my blog. It seems like a catchy title is required. That, and the courage to actually click that orange "Publish" button at the top of this page.  Well, here goes...